


illicit affairs

by rosegoldblood



Series: of jack-o'-lanterns and orange leaves [4]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hunger Games Setting, Bittersweet Ending, Fluff and Angst, Hunger Games, M/M, Mild Blood, district 10 sapnap, district 3 george
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-27
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:13:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27227902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosegoldblood/pseuds/rosegoldblood
Summary: george and sapnap meet on the day of the reaping, in the middle of the night, the sky dotted with stars. it doesn't feel like anything big. but it grows to be.
Relationships: GeorgeNotFound/Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF)
Series: of jack-o'-lanterns and orange leaves [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1966693
Comments: 19
Kudos: 111





	illicit affairs

**Author's Note:**

  * For [samsungfridge](https://archiveofourown.org/users/samsungfridge/gifts).



> fourth halloween fic for ella, let's go! this one was a treat to write. no former knowledge of the hunger games is needed, but come on. everyone knows the hunger games.

_and that's the thing about illicit affairs_

✦

"don't touch me," george snapped.

the man behind him whistled and lifted his hands in the air, palms facing forward. "okay, okay, i won't," he said. messy black hair, a white ribbon tied around his head. he was bigger and clearly among the more muscular tributes. "what's your name, pretty boy?"

george crossed his arms. "don't call me that." still scanning the other boy, who was wearing a ragged black long-sleeved shirt under a white t-shirt, with a pattern of orange and red in the middle. "it's george. i'm district three. technology."

"sapnap," the other boy said, offering his hand. after a moment of consideration, george took it, figuring that just a handshake couldn't hurt. "i'm district ten. livestock." he placed his hands on his hips and grinned. "huh. you really don't seem like the fighting type."

at this george stamped his foot and looked down at his body. "wh - what is _that_ supposed to mean?" he asked, but all sapnap did was laugh and move past him, glancing out the glass dome. the sky was pitch black, but dots twinkled across, white and sparkly and unlike anything george had ever seen before. george tilted his head. "what are those?"

"what?" sapnap's grin was fading away as he tapped at the glass. it zapped him in the finger, and he jumped back, yelping. before george could laugh, he continued with, "you've never seen stars before?"

"stars?" george asked, the word a little strange on his tongue, before his eyes widened with recognition. he'd learnt about them before, heard descriptions of them in stories. longed to see them, but he never could, not with the dusty dull grey of the sky where he was from. "those are what they look like? oh... wow."

a silence held between them for a moment as george stared, eyes lighting up, darting across the scenery laid out in front of him. each star twinkled and shone, like dots waiting to be connected to each other. a puzzle to be put together, but still separate, like each one had a separate story to tell. "they're so... pretty."

"i've never seen them back in my district," george explained, rubbing at his arm, recalling what the sky looked like where he was from. during the day, smoke and dust would drift through the air. during the night, pitch black and nothing else. if they were lucky, maybe they'd be able to see the moon.

stars were a different story. back when he was in school, they'd teach the students about it - dots sparkling in the sky like little jewels. it all sounded so surreal. george longed to see them, but with each passing year his hope died a little more. 

he'd never see them. not a poor district boy.

until now.

his eyes continued to rove over the flat plains of the sky, endless, expanding over the trees and buildings. george stared until his eyes started to burn looking at the bright, beautiful flashes of light, wondering what else he'd been missing his whole life.

"pretty cool, huh," sapnap laughed when george turned to him, eyes wide like he'd witnessed glory. "let's be friends. at least for a while, before we die. it's nice to meet you, george." his smile was so sincere this time, and george blinked.

it wouldn't hurt to get a gauge on his enemies, right? "it's nice to meet you, too."

✦

_and clandestine meetings and longing stares_

✦

there wasn't much time to see sapnap. especially since they were from different districts. most times, it was a look and a wave or two across hallways, but never anything more than that. never anything more than a moment.

"we'll see each other during training sessions," sapnap had said, once, when they were conveniently in a lift together going up. "then we'll get to talk." 

the problem with this was that george was dreading the training sessions. back home, he'd never got any solid practice with any type of weaponry. couldn't lift anything too heavy, couldn't run too fast. all he could do was make a gadget on the spot, which wasn't very useful unless they decided to make the arena a giant electricity conductor.

worse than that, his survival skills weren't too great, either. he wasn't pampered back home, but he'd never set a foot in the woods or the clearings near the lake, either. the more he thought about it, the worse it got. everything was going to shit.

if only his name had never been drawn at the reaping. if only he'd at least tried to escape, because being beaten to death was better than this. blood and violence broadcasted for a game.

"don't be too worried, kid," his mentor said, black-gloved hands tucked into his hoodie pockets. everything about him made george angry. he'd told george his name once, but he hadn't been bothered enough to remember. "it'll be fine."

it wasn't chaos like he'd expected, but it was... overwhelming, to say the least. people threw tridents and daggers back and forth. knotting ropes together, making traps, learning about the various foods you could eat in the arena without dying. it was all too much at once.

his partner had already left, the other tribute from district three. he was so much taller than george, and so much more confident, and he actually knew how to use a sword. _lucky bastard,_ george thought, as he curled up into himself. his brain was starting to overstimulate trying to process so many things at once.

"hey, you alright?" someone asked, and george yelped at the hand on his shoulder. tears were pricking at his eyes, much to his surprise, and he crossed his arms.

"i'm fine," he said, dully, feeling pathetic. caught crying at his first training session. what a lovely first impression. "i - i don't know what to do," he admitted to sapnap, hoping the tears wouldn't come to his eyes again.

"so you decided to stand here and cry," sapnap remarked. anger boiled in george's chest and before he was aware of what he was doing, his palm was smacking against sapnap's cheek, leaving a bright red imprint. "...oh."

it took some time to register, in which george's hands flew up to his mouth. before he could say anything, sapnap grinned, "see? you're not so bad." he gestured to the sword station, "why don't we -"

"i can't," george blurted out. he sighed and toed at the ground. "i - i never learnt how to use a sword."

sapnap raised his eyebrows, scratching at the back of his neck. "uh, okay. we could go to the spears or bows if you want -"

"no. i never learnt how to use any weapon, alright?" shame curled inside of george as the words slipped from his mouth, looking down to avoid seeing sapnap's face. "it's fine. i'll just... stay here. we both know i'll be the first one to die in the games anyway."

"hey," sap said, placing his hand on george's shoulder. "even if that's true, i'm not gonna let it happen. what kind of person would i be if i just let you die?" 

_a smart person. a person who knows what's good for himself._

instead george looked up and gave a weak smile. sapnap wasn't his partner, wasn't from his district, didn't owe george anything. and yet, here he was, holding out his hand and offering to help him. maybe sapnap wasn't an idiot. maybe he was just a good person.

maybe those two things overlapped sometimes.

"now come on. sword-fighting isn't all that hard." george placed his hand in sapnap's their fingers intertwining almost like instinct, slotting together as if they were made for it. "you'll get the hang of it in no time."

"...i'm sure i will."

✦

_it's born from just one single glance_

✦

curtains sweeping across the stage. bright lights flickering on overhead. yet another reminder that this was a show, a play, entertainment to the sea of people in the crowd. 

george's fingers curled into the fabric of the velvet curtains, chewing on his lip nervously. as of now, they were interviewing a boy named skeppy, the boy from district one. his hair was bright blue and poofy, and he was wearing a matching blue suit as he talked to the host.

for once, george cursed being part of district three, as it meant he was the fifth person to go up there and be interviewed. if only he had more time, but he doubted it would help with the sickening feeling in his stomach.

"you look terrible, dude," sapnap remarked, though his face grew more concerned as george turned to him with a grimace. "um... are you okay?"

"no," george said, clutching at his stomach. despite all the lessons and teachings on etiquette and what to say, he was still so nervous. what would he say? would he be charming, flirtatious? shy and stammery in a cute way? indifferent and cold?

which mask would he have to wear? which role could he play the best?

it was all so tiring, and george had never been good at acting.

"hey, don't worry about it too much. you'll do fine, gogy." george raised his eyebrows at the nickname, and sapnap grinned. "actually, i had something to tell you, before you left for the interview. it's... kind of important."

skeppy was called off the stage, and some girl went up next. "um, sure," george said, crossing his arms as they both peeked around the corner, watching the interview without actually listening to what was being said.

"well, i..." the hesitation in sap's voice made george turn around, and to his surprise, sap was blushing. "you know, george, we've been hanging out a lot lately. and we're friends, even if you're a total idiot."

"get to the point."

"yeah, yeah. patient, bitch boy, i'm getting to it." sapnap coughed. "well... i guess this whole time we've been - spending time together before we're thrown into an arena to fight to our death..." george's heart ached at the thought of fighting sapnap, but he didn't say anything. "i guess the point is - i like you, george. as in, more than friends."

george stared. sapnap stared back, eyes locked to the other's for what felt like years. somewhere in the distance, the district two girl was called up. he didn't notice through the pounding of his heart.

sapnap liked him. as more than friends. sapnap liked him, _romantically._ and it was terrible, because they were being sent to their deaths and sooner or later they'd both die, anyway, and there was no possible happy ending for them. none at all. 

it was dangerous, and stupid. but george loved him back. and what kind of person would he be to reject him? how would he live with all the love that went to waste?

maybe being a good person and being stupid overlapped. maybe that was okay. 

you had to be a little dumb to love sometimes.

"sap -" he started, at the same time sap said ' _george -_ '. they both stopped to laugh for a second. "sapnap, i - i like you too. as more than friends. and i know that - we can't both win the games, and if it were anybody, i'd want it to be you. but even if i die... at least i'll get to live first."

someone called his name. "that's your cue," sapnap said, and george looked back onto the stage. all eyes on him, waiting for him, analysing his every move. he glanced back, at sapnap, who brought his hand up to cup george's cheek. "you'll do great."

he smoothed his thumb across george's cheek, below his eye, and george thought that he'd never felt that way before, and he never would ever again. a feeling reserved for just that moment, behind the stage, with bright lights flashing before his eyes.

george wondered what other feelings he was missing out on. he wondered whether other people had felt this way before.

if so, they were all too lucky.

✦

_but it dies and it dies and it dies_

✦

"it's tomorrow."

sapnap scoffed as they leaned against the wall. "don't i know."

george wondered what the arena was like. it changed every year, so no one really knew aside from the gamemakers. he traced patterns into his hand, flexing his fingers. despite all the training, holding a sword never felt quite natural.

it was a little morbid, he supposed. to wonder what his death place would be like. then again, it was the same way everyone wondered what it'd be like to die. was there an afterlife, or was there just nothing?

well, he'd be discovering the answers to both of those questions out sooner or later either way.

"i'm sorry," george said, out of the blue, before he could figure out what he was apologising for. sapnap raised his eyebrows. "i - i'm not going to win. i'm sorry i can't give you this... happy ending." he crossed his arms and sighed, closing his eyes. "but i hope you'll win."

"don't count yourself out yet, gogy." sapnap wrapped his arm around george's shoulders, pulling the latter closer to him. "besides, we have this whole night to ourselves. uh, mostly the whole night. at least we have that left."

the calm before the storm. "you're right." george scratched at his arm with his nails, and they fell into silence again. sapnap turned and looked out the glass.

"hey, look," he said, and george turned as well. "stars. pretty convenient, huh." despite the casual tone of his voice, sapnap's eyes were filled with an emotion that george couldn't decipher. "back to the beginning."

back to a time where they hadn't known each other at all. when george was still trembling in his shoes at the prospect of going into the games, when sapnap was just another annoying boy for him to deal with. 

was it really just a week ago? it felt like years.

"you know, back home they'd teach us about the constellations," sapnap continued, "sometimes we'd be herding the animals back into their pens, and the adults - they'd tell me stories and stuff. it was pretty cool. i don't remember much." he pointed at one specific group of stars. "that one looks like andromeda, though."

"andromeda..." george muttered quizzically. that had been the name of one of their products back home. there must've been a story behind the name, but he couldn't quite place it. "she's... a goddess of some kind. in old mythology, wasn't she? and they named a constellation after her."

he opened his mouth to continue, but someone called his name. george turned around to see his mentor, mouthing something and gesturing for him to come with. probably time to prepare for the games. "i guess i should go now. i'll see you... in the arena."

the silence was tense between them, and sapnap looked down. george took a step back, and another. each one felt like abandonment. each one felt like goodbye. "i love you," sapnap said, "i never said it, but i do."

_i love you too,_ george wanted to say back, because it was true, but the words were stuck in his throat. he stood there, for a moment, trying to work up the nerve, but it felt too dangerous to say. afraid to say the things he felt. "i..."

"it's okay, george. i know."

✦

_a million little times._

✦

it ended like this: grass beneath his fingers, blood across his chest. pain coursing through his system, so much he was going numb; heat spreading throughout his arms and his stomach. 

but most important was the person above him, quiet sobs slipping from his mouth, headband tattered as he placed his hand under george's head, propping him up. "come on," sapnap whispered, voice desperate and broken, "you can still make it."

"no, i can't," george said, reaching up to trail his fingers over sapnap's shoulder. he knew this would happen, from the very beginning. from that day, trapped in a glass dome fearing for his life, when he'd taken sapnap's hand - even back then he knew nothing good would happen.

and again in the training room. sapnap looking at him with soft eyes and offering to help him with his sword-fighting. asking george to teach him how to invent and wire things together, after that. in every single moment, through every laugh and every soft look, he knew.

there'd be no happy ending for them.

still he loved. still he continued to spend time with sapnap, grew more attached. let himself feel instead of closing himself off even if he knew it'd end in disaster. was it worth it, he asked himself. was any of it worth it for this?

he was dying now, the slim chance of his happy ending ripped away. and yet - was a sad ending really sad if you'd been happy the whole story? if you wouldn't change a thing, was it really a sad ending?

"you win for me, okay, sap?" george asked, smiling to the best of his ability. his bones ached. his cheeks stung. but he was happy. "i know you can do this. please. for me." 

footsteps sounded in the distance, boots against grass. "no," sapnap whimpered, "please don't go. please don't leave me." his voice was disjointed, though maybe that was just george's fading senses. 

george smiled at sapnap, weak yet bright at the same time. he knew sapnap could win, if only he tried. if only he let go. this was the boy who loved even when it was stupid, who gave george everything even when he owed him nothing. the boy who'd showed him what stars were.

who'd showed him that it was okay to love, and it was okay to be dumb, and that those things weren't mutually exclusive.

and if he could do that, sapnap could do anything, couldn't he?

it ended like this: footsteps growing closer, a harried, tearful goodbye. grass beneath his fingers, blood across his chest. a soft smile on his face, and a heart full of love. 

george didn't regret a thing.


End file.
